Jen Storer & Truly Tan

We have signed copies of all of Jen Storer’s books in the shop now.  Truly Tan, Tensy Farlow & The Accidental Princess are all available and would make terrific special gifts for Xmas.  Truly Tan is aimed at 8-10 year olds, and the other two titles are for girls a little older. Come in soon and grab a signed copy.

Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel

The wait is over!!  The latest installment in the adventures of The Wimpy Kid is here.  The Third Wheel is on the shelves.

 

$14.95 in paperback, or $17.95 in hardback.

Heroes of Olympus #3 The Mark of Athena

Heroes of Olympus #3 The Mark of Athena

by Rick Riordan, PB $20.00

The characters we grew to love in Riordan’s first series (Percy Jackson) continue their adventures with a whole bunch of great new characters.

The Mark of Athena is the third in the series, Heroes of Olympus. Percy and Annabeth from the Greek demigods camp must join forces with Piper and Jason from the Roman camp to close the Doors of Death and save the WORLD!

Can two groups of people brought up to hate each other get past their differences and carry out the quest of the Gods?

Once again, Riordan writes an action packed story that is funny and sad with many twists and turns along the way!

 

*Try Rick Riordan’s other series… Percy Jackson chronicles and the Kane Chronicles

 

 

 

 

This time we’re going Under Wildwood

A whimsical fantasy novel for kids over 9, with lovely illustrations in a beautiful hardback, for $20. This, my friends, is the dream. Or maybe a dream. Anyway, it was about a year ago that Wildwood graced our shelves. Musician/Author Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis put together the clever, magical and adventurous tale of Prue McKeel, whose brother had been kidnapped by a flock of crows. Now, brand new in stock is Under Wildwood. This sequel shares the fantastic style and adventurous plot as Prue and her bandit-in-training friend Curtis must return to Wildwood to save themselves and their friends. Meanwhile, Curtis’ sisters have been taken to a terrible orphanage; they are going to have to find a way to escape, or face working in a factory for a long time.
With Wildwood now in paperback ($18) and Under Wildwood in hardback ($20) with lovely illustrations this is a perfect gift for fantasy readers in an occasionally difficult age range, though older readers and fans of Meloy’s band, The Decemberists, may well enjoy it just as much.

Under my hat; Tales from the cauldron

Under my hat; Tales from the cauldon

by Neil Gaiman et al, PB, $19.95

This is a fantastic collection of imaginative and magical witchy tales. 18 brilliant fantasy authors who hold a myriad of awards between them bring you stories about every conceivable type of witch; good, evil, young, old and their companions.

Each story is unique in writing style and there is excellent variety that will spook you and make you laugh or cry. Featuring Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Garth Nix, Isobelle Carmody and more! A relaxing holiday read for kids aged approx 12 and up.

The Cherub saga continues – Guardian Angel by Robert Muchamore

Fans of Robert Muchamore are once again buried in a new, bigger, better Cherub installment. Guardian Angel is the second book in the second Cherub series that started with People’s Republic which is itself now in paperback. A new gang, a new set of adventures. Muchamore’s fast paced action packed series is still a favourite with kids, especially boys, 12 plus. Guardian Angel is Hardback, $30.

The thrilling conclusion to the tales of Artemis Fowl!

Artemis Fowl & The Last Guardian

by Eoin Colfer, PB $19.95

 

After eight amazing books, Eoin Colfer brings the fabulous Artemis Fowl series to a thrilling conclusion!

Join Artemis, Holly, Myles and Beckett as they fight against the megalomaniac pixie, Opal Koboi (what’s not to love about that!?) to save the world yet again.

It’s been a crazy ride through the Artemis series but these books are a truly fun and slightly nerdy young adult read with plenty of twists and amazing characters to keep you going. Enjoy the last adventure of young Mr Fowl and an ending that will leave you stunned!

 

Vintage Classics – Childrens’ Collection

The popular Vintage Classics for adults are still a favourite with lovely covers and $12.95 price. Now some more old favourites for kids have arrived with more colourful covers and spines, and an even-more-compelling price of $9.95! These are already going well so don’t miss your chance.

Once there was Spoiled. Then things got Messy.

                     

I actually can’t remember the last time a book brought me to tears…of laughter. It seems, to me, much easier or perhaps just more likely, for a book to bring you to any other kind of tears than those of laughter. I laughed pretty hard in Spoiled, the first book from Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan but in Messy the women behind the utterly hilarious gofugyourself.com have truly outdone themselves. Half the battle, or perhaps more than half, in young adult fiction is actually getting a kid to pick up a book. With the help of some genius cover art these books are the kind of books that kids will want to read because they’re fun and witty whilst still being meaningful and intelligent. Not every kid between 14 and 22 wants to read about children killing each other or magical lands of witchcraft and wizardry. When a phenomenon like The Hunger Games comes along its easy to just assume all children will love it, but lets not forget, science fiction isn’t for everyone. So for kids with less of an appetite for death and war, Spoiled and Messy provide a hugely entertaining and worthwhile alternative.

Brooke Berlin and Molly Dix were newly discovered half-sisters in Spoiled, a hilarious story of adolescent competitiveness, absentee parenting, friendship and looking beneath the surface. In Messy we’re still privileged to Brooke’s singular impression of life but this time the alternate view has swapped to Max McCormack. Max is the green-haired, snarky, sarcastic, fiercly intelligent principals daughter who also happens to be Molly’s best friend. Max is pretty much the anti-Brooke. She shops at H&M, if she has to, has an unemployed Dad who repurposes household appliances in an attempt to make new household appliances and she really, really, wants to go to a writing program at New York University over the summer. But she’s going to have to do it on her own dime and her current job has far too much toham* for her liking. So she ends up on Brooke’s payroll, ghost writing her blog OpenBrooke.

“See? I’m actually a scintillating and witty person,” Brook said. “I just don’t have time to write about it.”

The blog turns into an overnight success, exactly as Brooke planned of course, and things go great until…well maybe you should read it to find out. There’s boys and clothes, a movie set and a band named Mental Hygienist and it really needs to be read to be understood. But trust me, you will DIE of laughter. Repeatedly.

“…I got sucked into the vortex that is Brooke Berlin, basically. When we go anywhere together, I look like her Make-A-Wish kid. People seem disappointed when they find out I don’t have cancer.”

I mean really. These girls really know how to write a pop culture laden story about loyalty and growing up with their tongues firmly in their cheeks. Love it. Both books are in paperback for $17.

*Tofu + ham = toham. Seriously.

There is an onion trapped in this book.

Sara Fanelli has created a wonderful book for young kids in The Onion’s Great Escape. A whimsical story meshed with interactive journal notebook type activities and an ongoing mission to Free The Onion*, this large board book makes a beautiful gift. Young boys or girls with a flair for riddles and a taste for the unusual will get hours of entertainment and joy out of this lovely book.

I found myself wondering what my own answers were to the questions I found inside this book when I picked it up. From introspective;
“Does remembering happy times make you feel happy or sad? Why?”

…to mind bending;
“If a chicken eats a worm and I eat the chicken, did I eat a worm?”

…to existential;
“Can you forget to remember?  Can you remember to forget?”

This is the sort of book to be treasured long after its completed and reflected on (and laughed at) for years afterwards. Though careful, it claims to disappear…

Recommended for children 8+, $29.95.

*If books like this got the recognition it deserves we’d be seeing Free The Onion t-shirts everywhere a la Vote For Pedro. I’d wear one.